OBX.

So, when we first moved to North Carolina, we started seeing stickers on cars. You know--the oval ones with black letters. They're everywhere. But all the ones here said the same thing: OBX.

It stands for Outer Banks.

But the Outer Banks are 7 hours from us. We could be to Washington DC in the same amount of time. Or only an hour from DisneyWorld. So we've never gone.

Besides--what's the big deal? A beach is a beach, right??? How great can it be?

Well.

We finally went.

And we loved it.

So, since I searched high and low for all the "best things to do, see, and eat" and couldn't find a good, concise list anywhere--here is mine.

Don't Miss (if you do nothing else, do these, and if you don't do them--lie and tell me you did...)

Currituck Lighthouse (I totally recommend climbing it) and the shops nearby.

Pig Man's Barbecue (oh. my. lawsie. I would drive 7 hours just for this. Eastern Carolina style heaven.)

Fishing on Nag's Head Pier at sunset. (You pay $10.00 for a 24 hour pass and rent a pole. You can buy tackle. Just to walk on the pier is $1.50 and it's cool to see what people catch.)

Kayaking the Pamlico Sound and exploring the waterfront of Manteo. (We loved this. So much.)

Best beach? We loved Currituck and Duck best.

Nice, but optional:

Bodie Lighthouse and Hatteras Lighthouse (I was surprised that I didn't love these more. Bodie Island was the cooler of the two, oddly enough.)

Roanoke Island Festival Park (We really liked this a lot, and the Adventure section was perfect for little kids. If you've got the time, I recommend.)

Owen's Restaurant in Nag's Head (I mean, it was good. But average entree was $25+. I thought it was a bit expensive for what you got.)

The Wright Brothers Memorial (The most impressive part, to me, was the monument. I loved the engraving: "Conceived by genius, achieved by dauntless resolution and unconquerable faith." Awesome.)

Jockey Ridge State Park (With teenagers? A blast. With little kids? A drag. The picnic sites were nice, though.)

The reasons we'll go back?

To see Ocracoke.

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,

For Christmas this year, I would like any and/or all of the following:

1. A fully automated kitchen that cleans itself.

2. Harvard to nominate me for an Honorary Doctoral Degree. If they could give me one of the funny PhD caps, that would be great, but I'll settle for the diploma alone.

3. My waist back.

4. The book of my children's lives, unabridged, so I can see how this mystery/drama/comedy is going to end. If there's a Cliff Notes version, send that along, too. No "choose your own adventure" options, please.

5. The equity back in our house that the economy ate. I'll go for a "break even"

6. Speaking of self cleaning--if you could get some of those self cleaning clothes for my kids, it would probably be really good for the environment. I'm just sayin'...

7. The directors of Lord of the Rings to decide they want to (re)do the whole Twilight series. With a gigantic budget. And good actors. Please. For the love.

8. World Peace.

I think that should do it. In return, I shall make my Boston Mint Cookies. I'll even leave the recipe out.

Think about it.